The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. Therefore, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed.
Semiconductor resistors could be fabricated and integrated into an IC to provide various functions and further enhance performance of the IC. Requirements in IC processing and manufacturing have become more challenging for providing an IC with multi-functions and advanced performances. It is desirable for such semiconductor resistors to have a low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) while also having a high resistance. Therefore, specific materials are generally required in fabricating the semiconductor resistor, and also some additional process steps are required to integrate the semiconductor resistor with other devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors in the IC. Accordingly, multiple operations of film deposition, lithography, and/or etching operations are required to form the semiconductor resistors from the materials.
As a result, there are needs in IC materials and design to improve integrated circuits and methods of fabricating thereof.